Editorial Staff

Eli Andrews is the Editor-in-Chief of Localyst, bringing more than a decade of experience in news media and social entrepreneurship to the organization. Eli was a co-founder of Transterra Media, which developed an antidote to helicopter journalism by building a platform that enabled local documentarians to contribute directly to shaping global news narratives about their own communities. He is passionate about startups that leverage best practices from the private sector and harness market forces to achieve lasting and scalable public benefit for all, especially the disenfranchised.


Earl Balisi-Smith is the managing editor with Localyst. He grew up in San Francisco, California and now lives in rural Washington. For work, Earl has written breaking news for TV, edited sports games highlights, and currently, designs media products for Localyst. Sociology, UX design, and LGBT+ issues are some of his interests. Say hi on Twitter @EarlRyan


Alanna Smith is a staff writer with Localyst and an experimenter with Accelerate Change Network. She grew up in New York City and is currently residing there. Alanna has strong interests in current events, LGTBQ+ issues/news, environmental issues, history, and culture. When she’s not working, she’s reading fantasy novels, cooking, and binge watching murder mystery documentaries. You can find her on Twitter @a_p_smith.